Colin, your thread-opener is magnificent, text, references, photo, anecdotes, WOW!

Understanable in this mind, the Irish might desire to adopt a variant of Scottish dress style; 'made them look less like Englishmen, which may have been "highly valued."

The line about adopting a picturesque charachter in one's chosen mode of dress is pure poetry. 'Must look up some of the sources cited.

Thank you.